Say it again, brother. Especially this part; "But you can create when you’re pissed. You can create when you’re upset, or when you’re lamenting, or even when you’re confused."
The energy of anger, impotence, and confusion is powerful AF. Let's use it! Let's not forget to dig into that energy and use it.
Thank-you Mathew David. I needed this today. I’ve been stuck on feeling assaulted on multiple fronts. It’s a great reminder to me to get out of my head and find my heart again. No one but me can take that away.
Matthew David- thank you for validating listening to my heart and having faith it will lead me in the right place. There is a baby formula shortage fire going on right now and one of my clients could not find formula that her son needed. We searched all week for somewhere that would accept her Food stamps that had the formula. I purchased it personally for her. My heart told me it was the right thing to do,despite the possible consequences. She called my employer in tears with great appreciation. I may lose my job but my heart is full tonight knowing the baby has food and mom can spend her time loving on him.
Thank you for this article. People tend to look to the bad things, bad new sells. But, even on the news, good stories are creeping in - people helping others in a crisis. The other night I got tired of listening to the news, and turned it off. I put on a previously recorded CNN broadcast of Carole King and James Taylor together. As I was listening, and beginning to relax, Carole King sang 'Beautiful' and it was followed by James Taylor singing 'Shower the People'. Both songs talk about frustration, but the choruses of both struck me. No matter how tired or frustrated I get, the choruses reminded meofhow God wants me/us to act. Carole sings "You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart. Then people are gonna treat you better. You're gonna find, yes you will, that you're beautiful as you feel." And James Taylor sings: "Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel, things are gonna be much better, if you only will." Then they performed together 'You've Got A Friend" which sings...."Just call out my name, and you know wherever I am, I'll come running....winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call." Besides being a friend like that, or having one, it made me think of Jesus, when we need him, and call, he'll be there, all we have to do is call. There are so many times when I don't feel like creating, either a craft project or a sermon, but I turn off the bad, and look to the good and the beautiful. The good news is around us, actually more than the bad, and look out the window, no matter where you are, there is beauty and life and growth, even when there's been destruction.
"Crisis has been a constant, and somehow we’ve created." I'd even go so far as to adjust this to "Crisis has been a constant, and SO we've created." (For me, anyway.) I mean, a story where the world is at peace and there's no problems for the protagonist, and everyone gets along swimmingly is just kinda boring. It doesn't resonate with most people, because it's not our reality. It's why I feel creatives are our greatest prophets. They/we are able to bring together the tangible and intangible, impossibly overwhelming and mundane, and somehow pull out a thread of meaning that we can hold onto.
This whole article also reminds me of a conversation I recently had with a friend.
Friend: I don't know, it really does feel like the end of the world.
Me: Of course it does. But it's not the first time any of this has happened.
Friend: Yeah, but, like.... If you look at the history of Rome, this is literally what happened at the beginning of the downfall of that. Like, the back and forth and wild divides in the government, insurrections, wars, inflation, infighting in the government, all of it! Verbatim, this is what happened back then. It's hard to see the similarities and NOT believe this is the end of the world.
Me: [Unable to help from smiling.] I SO do hate to point out the obvious, but the world did not end when the Roman Empire fell. You and I are literally proof of that.
Friend: [Laughing]
Me: The fall of Rome wasn't the end of the world. It was the end of an empire. And sure, it probably felt like the end of the world to the citizens of that empire, but it wasn't.
Friend: Honestly, when you put it like that, it sounds like this could actually be the beginning of a good thing. Because, fuck empire!
-----
To me, this conversation shines a spotlight on a very tangible example of the concept of death and resurrection happening all around us. Nowhere in the gospels does it say that this process is a feel-good, warm, fuzzy thing. But it always ends with the things you're getting at in this article: Love is greater than hate. Creativity and the very best of humanity can and will shine through the darkness of human sin/fuckery. Where there is weeping, pain, and sorrow, as we hang on our respective crosses, Jesus and his love are by our side through it all, experiencing it all, guiding us to the path he already knows to bring us into everlasting love and grace.
Time to dust off and get back to work. I pretty much froze up last Monday night. I needed (need) to do content for my internet radio station and website but I just couldn't for several days. I was 22 when Roe became the law - I remember how it was before and I am scared as **** for all the young women I know. Because of state enforced pregnancy but also because of the potential domino effect. I remember when you had to have a husband or parent's permission to get birth control. In the states where that too wasn't illegal. I am not an Evangelical Conservative Christian, why should the beliefs of that segment of a faith be legislated into my life - especially when these "beliefs" were only legitimized after they could no longer gather a lot of active followers by rallying them around white supremacy. I live in Florida. I am proudly "woke" - if there was ever a "vote them out" state I live in it!
So many good thoughts here Matthew David, I love the idea of connecting to our creativity in the midst of all the unsettled and uneasy parts of life. With that said, I generally have a really hard time doing so. I agree, Imagination does actually live in the same place from which you feel, often it’s the darker feelings that inspire my art. So much to think about here….your writing is thought provoking in this strange world of chaos we live in. I appreciate the places I can access when my mind is less agitated but the agitation can also be used for action. We live in a world of duality, the trick is finding the middle ground. Thank you…I appreciate you.
Say it again, brother. Especially this part; "But you can create when you’re pissed. You can create when you’re upset, or when you’re lamenting, or even when you’re confused."
The energy of anger, impotence, and confusion is powerful AF. Let's use it! Let's not forget to dig into that energy and use it.
Thank-you Mathew David. I needed this today. I’ve been stuck on feeling assaulted on multiple fronts. It’s a great reminder to me to get out of my head and find my heart again. No one but me can take that away.
Matthew David- thank you for validating listening to my heart and having faith it will lead me in the right place. There is a baby formula shortage fire going on right now and one of my clients could not find formula that her son needed. We searched all week for somewhere that would accept her Food stamps that had the formula. I purchased it personally for her. My heart told me it was the right thing to do,despite the possible consequences. She called my employer in tears with great appreciation. I may lose my job but my heart is full tonight knowing the baby has food and mom can spend her time loving on him.
Thank you for this article. People tend to look to the bad things, bad new sells. But, even on the news, good stories are creeping in - people helping others in a crisis. The other night I got tired of listening to the news, and turned it off. I put on a previously recorded CNN broadcast of Carole King and James Taylor together. As I was listening, and beginning to relax, Carole King sang 'Beautiful' and it was followed by James Taylor singing 'Shower the People'. Both songs talk about frustration, but the choruses of both struck me. No matter how tired or frustrated I get, the choruses reminded meofhow God wants me/us to act. Carole sings "You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart. Then people are gonna treat you better. You're gonna find, yes you will, that you're beautiful as you feel." And James Taylor sings: "Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel, things are gonna be much better, if you only will." Then they performed together 'You've Got A Friend" which sings...."Just call out my name, and you know wherever I am, I'll come running....winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call." Besides being a friend like that, or having one, it made me think of Jesus, when we need him, and call, he'll be there, all we have to do is call. There are so many times when I don't feel like creating, either a craft project or a sermon, but I turn off the bad, and look to the good and the beautiful. The good news is around us, actually more than the bad, and look out the window, no matter where you are, there is beauty and life and growth, even when there's been destruction.
This is the perfect wrap up for a clergy retreat I attended the last two days! Thank you for your encouragement and - yes - clarity! 💖
I create broke stuff when I am pissed. It sometimes shocks others, but at least I know myself well enuf to know that.🔨
These are such important reminders!
"Crisis has been a constant, and somehow we’ve created." I'd even go so far as to adjust this to "Crisis has been a constant, and SO we've created." (For me, anyway.) I mean, a story where the world is at peace and there's no problems for the protagonist, and everyone gets along swimmingly is just kinda boring. It doesn't resonate with most people, because it's not our reality. It's why I feel creatives are our greatest prophets. They/we are able to bring together the tangible and intangible, impossibly overwhelming and mundane, and somehow pull out a thread of meaning that we can hold onto.
This whole article also reminds me of a conversation I recently had with a friend.
Friend: I don't know, it really does feel like the end of the world.
Me: Of course it does. But it's not the first time any of this has happened.
Friend: Yeah, but, like.... If you look at the history of Rome, this is literally what happened at the beginning of the downfall of that. Like, the back and forth and wild divides in the government, insurrections, wars, inflation, infighting in the government, all of it! Verbatim, this is what happened back then. It's hard to see the similarities and NOT believe this is the end of the world.
Me: [Unable to help from smiling.] I SO do hate to point out the obvious, but the world did not end when the Roman Empire fell. You and I are literally proof of that.
Friend: [Laughing]
Me: The fall of Rome wasn't the end of the world. It was the end of an empire. And sure, it probably felt like the end of the world to the citizens of that empire, but it wasn't.
Friend: Honestly, when you put it like that, it sounds like this could actually be the beginning of a good thing. Because, fuck empire!
-----
To me, this conversation shines a spotlight on a very tangible example of the concept of death and resurrection happening all around us. Nowhere in the gospels does it say that this process is a feel-good, warm, fuzzy thing. But it always ends with the things you're getting at in this article: Love is greater than hate. Creativity and the very best of humanity can and will shine through the darkness of human sin/fuckery. Where there is weeping, pain, and sorrow, as we hang on our respective crosses, Jesus and his love are by our side through it all, experiencing it all, guiding us to the path he already knows to bring us into everlasting love and grace.
Time to dust off and get back to work. I pretty much froze up last Monday night. I needed (need) to do content for my internet radio station and website but I just couldn't for several days. I was 22 when Roe became the law - I remember how it was before and I am scared as **** for all the young women I know. Because of state enforced pregnancy but also because of the potential domino effect. I remember when you had to have a husband or parent's permission to get birth control. In the states where that too wasn't illegal. I am not an Evangelical Conservative Christian, why should the beliefs of that segment of a faith be legislated into my life - especially when these "beliefs" were only legitimized after they could no longer gather a lot of active followers by rallying them around white supremacy. I live in Florida. I am proudly "woke" - if there was ever a "vote them out" state I live in it!
" Let your imagination, formerly restricted by shock, stretch out into a bigger room for your feelings." WOW!!!
I'm frozen due to trauma and I was planning to actually look into the with my therapist today when I read this. Is it an actual thing?
I also was told when age 10 by a teacher that I had no imagination. This seared straight into my conscious.
I'm praying today that I can actually imagine one day instead of blocking my mind with ceaseless counting of objects.
Thank you so much Matthew David
So many good thoughts here Matthew David, I love the idea of connecting to our creativity in the midst of all the unsettled and uneasy parts of life. With that said, I generally have a really hard time doing so. I agree, Imagination does actually live in the same place from which you feel, often it’s the darker feelings that inspire my art. So much to think about here….your writing is thought provoking in this strange world of chaos we live in. I appreciate the places I can access when my mind is less agitated but the agitation can also be used for action. We live in a world of duality, the trick is finding the middle ground. Thank you…I appreciate you.
Beautifully said my friend. So happy to find you here….I’ve missed you all! So much!